tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495591948180887202018-05-23T00:54:01.808-07:00PPC LudditeBring us your finest meats and cheeses! We will feast and be merry!Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.comBlogger231125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-4933520226693583082018-03-08T23:32:00.000-08:002018-03-08T23:32:45.347-08:00PPC Media Center Battles TLS ApocalypseYou may have <a href="http://tenfourfox.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-tls-apocalypse-reaches-power-macs.html">read about</a> the "TLS Apocalypse" hitting PowerPC Macs as a web browser/TenFourFox complication, but another thing it affects is youtube-dl, PPC Media Center's backend. You can no longer update youtube-dl with Tiger's old OpenSSL version (hence PPC Media Center's auto-update fails as well), so you have to manually download youtube-dl's binary from <a href="https://rg3.github.io/youtube-dl/download.html">their website</a> and move it to /usr/local/bin. That is until PPCMC's Adam Albrec recently released an updater app to do it all for you.<br /><br />Called PPCMC Updater (<a href="http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/ppc-media-center-watch-modern-internet-video-ppc-macs-running-104105">download page here</a>), it updates youtube-dl in the background and can also tie into iCal and have it call for an update check every couple of weeks. It also has a rollback feature in case you download a new version that's completely broken and you need to recover the old one. The app is actually a TenFourFoxBox, so it requires TenFourFox on your system.<br /><br />Also, Adam is attempting to compile a new version of OpenSSL that actually works and can save us from the ultimate apocalypse when the Youtubes and Vimeos start requiring TLS 1.2, not just Github and SourceForge. So if you have any pointers, this <a href="http://macintoshgarden.org/forum/call-arms-any-tigerleopard-devs-here-lets-fix-openssl-in-tiger">Macintosh Garden thread</a> might be the best place to drop a word.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-44293658112782156092017-10-16T10:34:00.000-07:002017-10-16T11:02:40.883-07:00WPA2 KRACK (Oh, God no)It seems a researcher staring at code has discovered a <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/16/16481136/wpa2-wi-fi-krack-vulnerability">giant flaw</a> in the WPA2 protocol. I hate it when that happens.<br /><br />WPA2 is the wireless encryption protocol that secures our data between our wireless devices and our routers. This new crack takes advantage of a flaw in the 4-way handshake (trust me on this, I know what I'm talking about) to allow malicious hackers within physical distance of connecting to your router to read your wireless traffic and even inject malicious code onto your device (such as ransomware).<br /><br />It's important to note a few things. First, this crack cannot be used to attack your device from anywhere in the world. The attacker must be within physical distance to connect to your router's wifi. Second, all unpatched devices as of now are vulnerable. Third, HTTPS and VPN traffic remain secure as long as whatever applications you're using don't bypass those encryption protocols. This caveat mostly applies to apps; browsing HTTPS sites in a web browser is safe.<br /><br />The good news is this flaw can be patched, and only really needs to be patched on the client side, so if your old router doesn't receive firmware updates I wouldn't freak out about it. What's most important is that your laptops, phones, etc. receive patches. As a temporary precaution I've turned off wifi on my phone, turned off my wifi printer until I really really need to print something (hopefully Epson will have an update available before then, but I have no idea if they're reliable about such things) and am using ethernet on my home network.<br /><br />What does this mean for OS X and Linux PowerPC users? Linux patches are reportedly on the way, but unsupported OS X systems are likely to remain unsupported, lulz. Tiger and Leopard users may have to rely on "security through obscurity" warm and fuzzies to reassure themselves that hackers would never use this hack to inject malicious PowerPC code onto their systems. But who knows, maybe there's some check box in System Preferences we can tic to make it all go away.<br /><br />Finally, this applies to everything that connects to your router via wifi -- laptops, phones, printers, wifi bluray players, all of it (hence the "Oh, God no" histrionics in the subject line). I'm starting to get a little ill just thinking about it.<br /><br />Anyway, here's a decent link to read more if you're insolent enough to require more than my third-hand understanding of these things:<br /><br /><a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/10/severe-flaw-in-wpa2-protocol-leaves-wi-fi-traffic-open-to-eavesdropping/">Severe flaw in WPA2 protocol leaves Wi-Fi traffic open to eavesdropping</a>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-24531680438300951562017-09-07T00:37:00.002-07:002017-09-16T14:31:26.789-07:00More SSD Lessons from Adam Albrec<i>(The following is a guest post by <a href="http://ppcluddite.blogspot.com/2014/02/new-gui-app-for-youtube-dl.html">PPC Media Center</a> creator Adam Albrec who shares his experience using SSD and SATA for a year on his MDD Power Mac.)</i><br /><br />So after 1 year using an O.W.C. SSD (and figuring out a SATA connection to make it go) what have I learned?<br /><br />Still Loving it. For anyone doing PPC (in a case that lets you tinker), and wants a boost, in the final analysis, it is SO worth your money! My PPC is more responsive than my Brother's Mac Pro (Quad Xeon) and while it cannot say - convert a DVD to mp4 as fast, his only about 4x faster; which is interesting since it should theoretically have 15-20x the power of my MDD. Multitasking in Tiger also is silky smooth even with LOTS open.<br /><br />So what's the downside or catch??<br /><br />1. Well - a couple of very real things. This drive (especially in a 32Bit system like my G4) needs a good 60-80GB free for Swapping (especially if using a RAM heavy app like Photoshop CS4). Otherwise it will get REALLY unresponsive when it starts trimming unused blocks back to available status. With my current workload, just had to upgrade from 120GB to 240GB and now all is Right with the world and it's Super Happy again.<br /><br />2. AND when first cloning a system to an SSD, it will be really SNOTTY for a couple of weeks while it gets sprawled-out. Most have noticed that when you clone OSX to a normal drive it will feel a bit laggy for a few weeks, but with an SSD, this turns into Kernel Panics - and lots of them for a week, then a few the 2nd week then after about a month smooth sailing. Apparently the RAID0/parallel-access that SSDs use can cause a lot of sync errors with the system bus until it balances and spreads over the drive. In practice this just reiterates the old adage in the beginning: “Save Often”, and after a few weeks you can relax.<br /><br />Some have said that getting O.W.C.s Extreme 6G SSDs alleviate both of these concerns since they handle big chunks of data more efficiently and also reclaim unused blocks faster, but an OWC rep advised against it because he felt that syncing with a bus so much slower might lead to other problems (curious other people's experiences). With my system, this did make sense though as the 3G Electras they sell are virtually identical to my G4 systems native bus speed. For a G5, the Faster 6G SSDs might be better. At this stage, the prices are often within $10 for one or the other (NOTE: the 3Gs are warrantied for 3-years and the 6Gs for 5-years).<br /><br />Now the SATA Question:<br /><br />Have also upgrading to a Sonnet Tempo TSATA for the internal drives and a FirmTek 1Se2 eSATA card for external connections (like data recoveries and such) this too, has been AMAZING. With this configuration, and also a Sonnet Allegro FW800 card (still $20-$30 on eBay), I'm now able to copy/move files at TWICE the speed of my Brother's Hoity-Toity new Intel Beast!<br /><br />And with Apple's new Thunderbolt to FW800 adapter (under $30), even our old machines can interface with Thunderbolt at about 75% of current real-world speeds for new systems. Only ultra high-end 6G systems really even make use of Thunderbolt fully, and the result is that our old Macs can be VERY COMPARABLE to USB3. This is especially useful to keep in mind if you are keeping an old G4 for a file server!<br /><br />A real world use was recovering a PC Hard-Drive for a customer. Pulled 100GB of 'User's folder from an NTFS volume in 30-40 minutes (eSata to FW800)!!!!!<br /><br />OK so now the 'BUT' on this topic...<br /><br />There are things to keep in mind. The eSATA External 1se2 cards are still available new from FirmTek, but they are eSATA and for External drives (which is less ideal, than internal). The Sonnet cards built on the same chipset, are amazing, but very expensive and hard to find now (will likely take about 6-weeks of watching eBay and Amazon to find one).<br /><br />But What about the inline IDE to SATA adapter cards many are using (as I did in the beginning)? They are lovely - especially for the $5 they cost. They work just fine (minus the ability to check SMART status of the drive), but only at IDE speeds. Until you find your FirmTek/Sonnet card, however, you'd be very wise to pick one up to start enjoying your new SSD right away. If you are only doing one System Drive, it might even make sense to stop there.<br /><br />BUT the benefit of the FirmTek-based SATA/eSATA cards is that they have internal data-processing/buffering that accelerates and stabilizes file transfers between drives sharing the same card, well beyond the system bus-normal abilities (a big plus on a G4). So while I'm listening to iTunes, or watching a video and Carbon Copy Cloner comes on to do my backup, I don't even notice a hiccup in playback because both my SSD and Backup drive share the same Sonnet Card. On clocking a 1GB test-file transfer going from one drive to the other, it maintained a ROCK SOLID 52MB per second (416Megabits), and a MORE IMPRESSIVE 27MB per second (216Megabits) simultaneously copying in both directions - with NO additional overhead to the CPU!<br /><br />Thus the Gold Standard would be to find the Ultra Rare 2-SATA/2-eSATA card by FirmTek (SeriTek/1VE2+2) and have any attached drives share this amazing performance boost.<br /><br />But getting back to the inline IDE/SATA adapters, they are fantastic for using modern optical drives (little known fact, while you cannot connect two SATA drives with such adapters on an IDE ribbon-cable, since Sata doesn't have a Master/Slave framework, you can use an IDE drive as 'Master' and SATA as 'Slave', thus enabling having a normal Dual-Layer DVD+- Drive in the top and a Sexy New quad-layer, BlueRay/MDisc burner on the bottom of an MDD. And the upper and lower tray ejectors still work!<br /><br />My current setup with the two cards is fine; transfers run about 45.5MB per second (364 Megabits), but when I am moving big files between an internal drive on one card and an external drive on the other card, or vice versa, and it has to go through the system bus, while still VERY fast, bus-saturation suddenly rears its ugly head and applications like iTunes start cracking and popping as it tries to keep up. The good news is that this really only seems to be noticeable during really big file transfers, rather than read-in data.<br /><br />The two card solution does have one other issue worth mentioning. For the cards to function, they must have the same firmware (if both SeriTek based), and they DO NOT want to be seated next to each other.<br /><br />And what of the "Other" cards like SIL3114/SIL3124? I have yet to get them to reliably work and stay working - after trying a lot of them. Maybe this isn't as much of a pill on some PowerMacs, but At least on Digital Audio through MDD, Apple's PCI Slots want it 'Their Way' and often don't work as expected. An advantage of the SeriTek cards is perfect compatibility (often in OS9 too).<br /><br />So in short if you like your Apps, and just want better performance, it might make sense to switch your system drive to SSD and get some SATA love going to it.<br /><br />Adam :0)<br /><br />P.S. A final note on the Sonnet Allegro FW800 card: While ultra-big drives (larger than 2TB) are a big issue even for many newer systems, O.W.C. has a USB2/FW800 Dual Enclosure for under $100!<br /><br />It supports 20TB drives in Striped, Mirrored and JOBD configurations and with the Sonnet Allegro is absolutely seamless to use.<br /><br /><a href="https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MED3FR0GB/">https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MED3FR0GB/</a><br /><br />Just note that OS9 will not recognize more than 2TB, and will try to “Initialize” the drive – so you've been warned! Also for compatible drives, OS9 will only run it at FW400 speeds.<br /><br />When you see how much 'Real' raid cards still cost for these older systems used on eBay (usually only supporting OSX OR OS9), and see this unit flawlessly do the heavy lifting for a say a mirrored config, it is an amazing value. The normally Green lights will momentarily flash Red and rebuild blocks so fast you don't even notice during sometime sensitive - like video playback.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-3101086867994797502017-07-29T05:11:00.000-07:002017-07-29T05:11:54.986-07:00New PowerPC Hardware in SightWe have not one but two items of news on the PowerPC hardware front. Yes, you read that right. It's not just software developers still working in PowerPC. There's also some hardware development happening.<br /><br />First there is the <a href="https://www.powerpc-notebook.org/en/">PowerPC Notebook</a> project I blogged about <a href="http://ppcluddite.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-new-notebook-for-powerpc.html">back here</a>. They've kicked off a fundraising campaign to hire Acube Systems to design a PowerPC motherboard with the following rough specs (quoted from their project blog):<br /><br /><ul><li>CPU: NXP T208x, e6500 64-bit Power Architecture with Altivec technology</li><li>4 x e6500 dual-threaded cores, low-latency backside 2MB L2 cache, 16GFLOPS x core</li><li>RAM: 2 x RAM slots for DDR3L SO-DIMM</li><li>VIDEO: MXM Radeon HD Video Card ( removable)</li><li>AUDIO: sound chip, audio in and audio out jacks</li><li>USB: 3.0 and 2.0 ports</li><li>STORAGE:<br />NVM Express (NVMe), M.2 2280 connector<br />2 x SATA<br />1 x SDHC card reader</li><li>NETWORK:<br />1 x ethernet RJ-45 connector</li><li>WiFi connectivity</li><li>Bluetooth connectivity</li><li>POWER: on-board battery charger and power-management</li><li>CHASSIS: standard notebook case 15,6”</li></ul><br />As of this writing they've raised about 4,500 of their 12,600 goal. All the details of the campaign are at <a href="https://www.powerpc-notebook.org/campaigns/electrical-schematics-notebook-powerpc-motherboard-donation-campaign/">this post</a>, and you can read much more at the <a href="https://www.powerpc-notebook.org/en/">GNU/Linux PowerPC notebook</a> blog and the <a href="http://www.powerprogress.org/en/">Power Progress Community</a> website.<br /><br />A small but dedicated community has gathered around this project, and if the past is evidence they're in it for the long haul, so I think this project warrants some serious consideration.<br /><br />There's also another PowerPC project that might be even closer to fruition, the <a href="https://www.raptorcs.com/TALOSII/prerelease.php">Talos II</a>. Cameron Kaiser has been following this project on <a href="http://tenfourfox.blogspot.com/2017/07/talos-take-ii.html">his blog</a>, so read all about it there, but suffice to say they look tantalizingly close to bringing a POWER9 desktop to market.<br /><br />There is no RISC in not trying.<br /><br />Oh, God, that ended terribly.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-80505382811445323532017-05-27T02:14:00.000-07:002017-05-27T02:14:09.840-07:00IPv4 is Apparently Ludditeville - And Also FasterI got an email from Adam Albrec, creator extraordinaire of PPC Media Center, with a fix to a performance lag he noticed when moving to a new house. PPCMC wasn't nearly as fast in the new digs and after conversing with the youtube-dl developers, they suggested he disable IPv6 in the app. He reports it helped "IMMENSELY." He promised a new version of PPCMC which will do this automatically, but you can disable IPv6 system-wide right now in Tiger by going into Network Preferences, and under the TCP/IP tab, click the "Configure IPv6..." button and switch from "Automatically" to "Off".<br /><br />In Leopard it appears you have to click on the Advanced button first to get to the TCP/IP tab, as illustrated on this University of North Carolina <a href="http://help.unc.edu/help/how-do-i-disable-ipv6-on-mac-os-x/">help page</a>.<br /><br />I also noticed on <a href="http://www.g5center.net/internet.html">G5 Center's Internet page</a> this tidbit:<br /><br /><blockquote>Pro-Tip: Tobias, key developer of Leopard-Webkit, recommends disabling IPv6 in the Network system preferences for your internet connection/port on your Mac if you experience hangs when loading webpages. I can confirm that this leads to a night and day performance change for my G5. WebKit is smooth as silk now.</blockquote><br />So disabling system-wide sounds like a good option to experiment with. Just be aware, things like Bonjour or other system services could break, but re-enabling IPv6 is quick and easy.<br /><br />Que the network IT people saying, "Don't disable IPv6. Fix your @#%^&$ing network!"Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-91465638103109034082016-12-28T13:24:00.001-08:002016-12-28T13:24:22.846-08:00BitTorrent for Mac OS 9 (!?!)The <a href="http://macintoshgarden.org/forum/bittorrent-client-mac-os-8-922">Macintosh Garden forums</a> had a bit of a Christmas surprise this year with news of a new BitTorrent client called <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/mactorrent/">MacTorrent</a>. Not just any BitTorrent client, but one that runs on Mac OS 8-9.2.2 (a separate OS X version runs on 10.3-10.6.8). Somebody should tell these developers that the Classic Mac OS (the <i>real</i> Mac OS) already had its funeral and there's no reason to write useful and awesome applications for it. After all, the only reason Mac OS 9 isn't quite useful and awesome enough to run as an everyday system these days is a lack of useful and awesome modern applications. Or something like that.<br /><br />In my limited testing so far, MacTorrent seems to work. It's bare at this early stage, but the developers are working on adding features such as magnet links in the future. Be part of the testing and give it a <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/mactorrent/files/?source=navbar">download</a>. Download the .sit file labeled "Classic" for the Mac OS 8-9 version, and the .zip file labeled "PPC-OSX" for the OS X version.<br /><br />If someone wrote an h.264 decoder for Youtube streaming on OS 9, I swear I'd switch back permanently.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-64199481132790144442016-10-08T02:06:00.000-07:002016-10-08T02:06:40.465-07:00It's Christmas in October: New PPC Media Center, Plus Pianobar, TSclientX, and SetEXIFDATAAs macOS Sierra is busy underwhelming the computer world, you'll be happy to hear there's still software being spun for good operating systems like Tiger and Leopard. I've gotten a few emails pointing to a few new titles, so I wanted to pass the word on.<br /><br />First, there's an update to PPC Media Center, our favorite GUI frontend for youtube-dl. This brings it to version 6.5 (and requires 6.0 already installed) and includes many Theatre Mode improvements. Here's the <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/file/dxe9qre38pp2h3r/PPC_Media_Center_6.5.zip">download</a>.<br /><br />Next, Daniel Milisic tells me he has new versions of Pianobar and TSclientX for Tiger and Leopard PowerPC.<br /><br />His port of Pianobar is actually called <a href="http://desktopecho.com/pianoppc/">PianoPPC</a> and brings back the Pandora terminal client to Tiger and Leopard desktops. I've tested it myself and it works fabulously. Here are a few brief instructions:<br /><br />After unpacking the download, the application must be run only from the /Applications folder or it will not launch. Also, for automatic login with your Pandora email and password, create the text file ~/.config/pianobar/config and save the following text inside it:<br /><br /><code>user = <i>your email</i><br />password = <i>your password</i></code><br /><br />That step may not be necessary if you already had an older Pianobar and its old config files. Also, if you're not sure how to create files in hidden folders like ~/.config, here's how:<br /><br />First, check that ~/.config exists in your home folder by opening a terminal window and typing <code>ls -a</code>. If you don't see ".config", type <code>mkdir .config</code> to make the folder. With .config now in place, enter <code>cd .config</code> to change to that directory, then enter <code>ls</code> to list its contents. If you don't see the folder "pianobar", then create it with the mkdir command. Then enter <code>cd pianobar</code>, then <code>ls</code>, and if you don't see "config" listed, create it with <code>nano config</code>. This will open a new text file where you enter the user and password. Finally, use the commands <code>ctrl + o</code> to save and <code>ctrl + x</code> to exit.<br /><br />Milisic's <a href="http://desktopecho.com/tsclientx/">TSclientX</a> is an RDP client for 10.4 - 10.6 and runs on both PowerPC and Rosetta. Since I didn't have any Windows networks to connect to I didn't test this extensively, but it looks good! This also must be run from your /Applications folder and won't launch if it's in any other location.<br /><br />Feel free to email Daniel with feedback at the email addresses from the links above.<br /><br />Finally Adam Albrec points me to <a href="http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/exiftool-gui-metadata-editing-new-tiger-version">SetEXIFDATA</a>, a GUI tool for editing EXIF metadata that was previously Intel-only but was recently compiled to run on PowerPC. And also for photographers, don't forget <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/osxpowerpcpackages/files/RawTherapee/">RawTherapee</a> for Leopard PowerPC.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-62803928164921009872016-09-23T13:00:00.000-07:002016-09-23T13:00:33.587-07:00An Inside Look at Apple's SkunkworksI feel a little paranoid even posting this, especially after Tim Cook loaded all those Samsung phones with explosive devices like a ninja. A few weeks ago I came into contact (won't say the method or the medium) with an insider at Apple (won't say who) of some distinction (won't say their rank) who first dangled and then delivered pictures of the new 2016 Mac Mini. Ordinarily I'd be like, "Cool," but nothing to risk my neck over. The Mac Mini isn't the most exciting product ever, but this Mac Mini, my source said, is different. It's a revolutionary new Mac Mini, and one that would hint at changes to the entire Mac lineup. This is a paradigm shifter. It shows Apple's changing priorities and where Jony Ive & Co. intend to take the whole Mac product line in years to come. The old Mac Mini is no more. It's time for a new form factor, new internals, and even an assault on the very concept of internals.<br /><br />Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you the 2016 Mac Mini:<br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i0OBxNIt164/V-WG-ZP5v6I/AAAAAAAABKk/AO_NBFIupN8_bFk38U1IR-hKtgkHlYE5ACLcB/s1600/2016%2BMac%2BMini.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" alt="2016 Mac Mini" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i0OBxNIt164/V-WG-ZP5v6I/AAAAAAAABKk/AO_NBFIupN8_bFk38U1IR-hKtgkHlYE5ACLcB/s1600/2016%2BMac%2BMini.jpg" /></a><br /><br />As you can see, it's minnier than ever. "How can they fit a computer in that?" you ask. Before you go speculating there's an A10 fusion processor in there, ask yourself first, "What is the concept of a processor?" Is it internal to the core housing of a computer, or is it <i>modular</i>? Must it always be internal taking up valuable space that can be better filled by the feng shui of Jony Ive's brilliance, or would it be more harmonious as an external add-on — a dedicated CPU (or eCPU)? This is the next revolution Apple intends to give us. Their new computers will have no CPUs, and just as they used the Mac Mini 10 years ago to usher in the age of Intel, they're using the 2016 Mac Mini to usher in the age of <i>No</i>tel. That's right, the CPU is a thing of the past. You may add one if you wish, but Apple will not bow to the vulgarities of manufacturers who pursue function over form. Rather, Apple is dedicated to balancing form and function on equal terms.<br /><br />As with the CPU, there is no internal GPU. There is no internal hard drive or memory. The new Mac Mini is a waystation for your dreams. To fulfill your vision, add an external CPU and motherboard. Add an external GPU and hard drive. Even many hard drives if you like. Apple has never shied from its role as curator for the essential and worthy in life, and this new design (I blush at such a blunt moniker) creates, yes <i>creates</i>, maximum flexibility to follow your muse.<br /><br />So advanced is the new, "form," we'll call it, that it doesn't even need a power supply. You simply plug it into one with the USB-C connector. You can attach a plethora of external devices to the included ports comprising of USB-C, USB 3 , and HDMI. If you run out of ports, you may add a hub, or perhaps hubs upon hubs. In this way, Apple devices will be scalable. For the first time, home consumer devices will scale in ways that will make many an enterprise procurer wonder why they even still exist.<br /><br />You may wonder, "Won't this ruin the aesthetic?" Won't all these devices, hubs, and dongles make every desktop a tangled web of cords and connectors, of external housing units of varying brands and sizes, turning an otherwise elegant workspace (brainspace) into a teeming jungle? Yes, and this is where Apple's second innovation comes in. This is not your traditional device rack. Apple, my source informs me, thought long and hard to come up with the right form factor for a new component receptacle befitting of the new now.<br /><br />May I humbly introduce the Apple Wastebasket:<br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9riPh_CxqWM/V-WHLVoXKpI/AAAAAAAABKo/KFDWhDhGsHUuAbE153T67UClPRswETddACLcB/s1600/Apple%2BWastebasket.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" alt="Apple Wastebasket" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9riPh_CxqWM/V-WHLVoXKpI/AAAAAAAABKo/KFDWhDhGsHUuAbE153T67UClPRswETddACLcB/s1600/Apple%2BWastebasket.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Simple. Futuristic yet harkening. You never would have thought of it yesterday, but now that it's arrived, you cannot imagine anything else.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-3234325733309547862016-08-19T19:06:00.000-07:002016-08-19T19:06:26.322-07:00G5Center Interviews Cameron KaiserLook who <a href="http://g5center.net/index.php?post=interview-with-cameron-kaiser">bumped into each other</a> at Vintage Computer Festival West.<br /><br />Also, I've been using the new TenFourFox 45 beta. It's a smooth ride, like driving a vintage '38.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-29904712184294675422016-07-21T02:06:00.001-07:002016-07-21T02:06:55.163-07:00Getting Linux on an iLamp iMac with Nvidia GraphicsILamp iMacs (G4s) are maybe the most notoriously difficult Macs to get a Linux desktop on, mostly because of the GeForce graphics they were <strike>afflicted with</strike> came with. Since I don't have one and haven't tried to put Linux on it myself, I haven't posted anything about it, but PPC Luddite reader Gary R. via email shared a very concise set of instructions on how to get Ubuntu running on his, so I thought I'd post it here.<br /><br />Here I quote Gary very liberally:<br /><blockquote>This is how I got Ubuntu to work:<br /><br />Download Ubuntu 16.04 minimal install iso for ppc.<br /><br />Install system utilities and Ubuntu Mate<br /><br />When finished, reboot<br /><br />At yaboot type: Linux nomodeset single<br /><br />When you reach root, type: visudo<br /><br />Below: root ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL type: username ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL (as per your instructions)<br /><br />Hit Control o, hit return, then exit<br /><br />nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-framebuffer.conf<br /><br />comment (#) nvidiafb, uncomment vesafb<br /><br />write, save, exit<br /><br />nano /etc/modules, add nvidiafb<br /><br />write, save, exit<br /><br />nano /etc/initramfs-tools/modules, add nvidiafb<br /><br />write, save, exit<br /><br />update-initramfs -u<br /><br />nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf and add:<br /><pre>Section "Screen"<br /> Identifier "Default Screen"<br /> Monitor "Default Monitor"<br /> Device "Configured Video Device"<br /> DefaultDepth 16<br />EndSection</pre>write, save, exit<br /><br />nano /etc/yaboot.conf and add to the append lines to read "quiet splash video=offb:off nomodeset single"<br /><br />write, save, exit<br /><br />ybin -v<br /><br />Type "passwd" and add a root password<br /><br />Reboot<br /><br />You should come to a screen that says "Enter root password for maintenance or Control D to continue"<br /><br />Hit Control D and you should get the Ubuntu Mate desktop</blockquote><i>And scene</i>. Gary adds he has to boot into rescue mode as it seems necessary with the nvidiafb and it's the only way to have shutdown, suspend, and reboot working properly. He also likes MATE, and after playing with the latest release on my Debian Sid install, I like it, too. So there.<br /><br />Thanks again to Gary R.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-80777061461386949212016-06-07T02:11:00.002-07:002016-07-10T15:42:26.696-07:00New PPC Media Center Version 6It seems like just yesterday that I was <a href="http://ppcluddite.blogspot.com/2014/01/vevo-videos-on-youtube.html">bitching about</a> Vevo videos on Youtube breaking my Greasemonkey downloaders, and Adam Albrec came to the rescue with PPC Media Center, a GUI frontend for youtube-dl written in all AppleScript. Now he's back with another update and we're all the way at version 6 now. Through that time, the app has evolved from a simple streamer and downloader to a full-featured package that's added multi-segment video support, MP3 creation, Universal binary support, etc., and now with version 6 adds even more to the festivities.<br /><br />New to this version (quoted from the Read Me):<br /><br /><i>1. Now supports List (Youtube) / Album (Vimeo) Play & Download.<br /><br />2. AutoDownloading (Batch) - In the background; separate from Primary Play/Download/MP3-creation functions.<br /><br />3. Enhanced WebM-avoidance for PPC systems and only downloads as a last-resort - with a prompt (Intel Mac are<br />unaffected).<br /><br />4. Dynamically check Python version, and can even work in Intel systems with system-Python problems.<br /><br />5. New Smart Installer, deletes all install-packages on completion (reclaiming 50+MB of disk-space).</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1RUPRRDWmwk/V1aO1QRqxTI/AAAAAAAABI0/-pbV90pLx_MUayFr0NeqxA9aplO1GQ47ACLcB/s1600/PPCMC-AutoDownloader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1RUPRRDWmwk/V1aO1QRqxTI/AAAAAAAABI0/-pbV90pLx_MUayFr0NeqxA9aplO1GQ47ACLcB/s1600/PPCMC-AutoDownloader.jpg" /></a></div><br />The big addition here is the batch AutoDownloader, allowing you to copy multiple links to the clipboard (links can be separated by commas, spaces, or line breaks) and download them in the background while still being able to play other videos in the foreground.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yx-4J_DpuBM/V1aO_MpsxCI/AAAAAAAABI8/ellu7VD4FHM4Qvl_mHH4DLIuTGrBYLZrgCLcB/s1600/Language-Patchers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yx-4J_DpuBM/V1aO_MpsxCI/AAAAAAAABI8/ellu7VD4FHM4Qvl_mHH4DLIuTGrBYLZrgCLcB/s1600/Language-Patchers.jpg" /></a></div><br />Also added are Spanish and German localizations. Viva PowerPC!<br /><br />So give it a download. And when you do, don't forget the Extras/Goodies/Legal folder where you'll find some experimental apps and the localizations.<br /><br />Of course all the previous features we've come to know and love return for this version, and I'm seriously impressed by the work that went into this and that Adam could do it all with AppleScript. The more likely scenario is he already developed this when I made my original complaint about Vevo videos, but I'll still cling to the belief that my bitching and moaning opened the floodgates of inspiration and led directly to the creation of PPC Media Center. None of this would have happened without PPC Luddite. This blog is all powerful. I am ruler and surveyor of my realm.<br /><br />PPC Media Center 6 supports both PowerPC and Intel, OS X 10.4 - 10.8. You may download it here:<br /><br /><strike><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download/a7oo6v27ilma29r/PPC_Media_Center_6.zip">http://www.mediafire.com/download/a7oo6v27ilma29r/PPC_Media_Center_6.zip</a><br /><br />MD5: fa675015ad7f78b82f5fb8affea3247e<br />SHA1: f371b922a856d48518c33277beb4f8eb2ce023f9</strike><br /><br />SLIGHTLY UPDATED version with Pasquale Barbaro's Italian localization in addition to the German and Spanish ones:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download/r5wqp9y40p88r95/PPC_Media_Center_6.0.zip">http://www.mediafire.com/download/r5wqp9y40p88r95/PPC_Media_Center_6.0.zip</a><br /><br />MD5: 04188b4e00b69eae8c667dfc0cf2701c<br />SHA 1: d56e5d721fc3d6d85c54a28121194d3945b3edc8<br /><br />As always, my <a href="http://ppcluddite.blogspot.com/2014/02/new-gui-app-for-youtube-dl.html">original post</a> introducing PPC Media Center will be updated with a download link to the latest version.<br /><br />(UPDATE: A couple of people have reported getting stuck in a loop at the end of the installer. If this happens, you can download <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download/g71paxuxbii51r0/PPCMC_6.0-App_ONLY.zip">PPCMC_6.0-App_ONLY.zip</a>. It's the app only and doesn't install any missing programs like mp3 binaries or Spark, which you probably already have if you've used previous versions of PPC Media Center.)Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-28805642477317379462016-05-30T22:27:00.002-07:002016-06-07T02:36:46.870-07:00Twitter Mobile on TenFourFoxYou may have noticed Twitter recently updated their mobile site when accessing it in TenFourFox. It used to look like this (old convo, don't know if anything came of it):<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f7HHW0MfARg/V00dcOgreRI/AAAAAAAABIE/lu09kRtXjIkRoutdc51U4w5RNazvR-_hgCLcB/s1600/old%2Bmobile%2BTwitter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f7HHW0MfARg/V00dcOgreRI/AAAAAAAABIE/lu09kRtXjIkRoutdc51U4w5RNazvR-_hgCLcB/s320/old%2Bmobile%2BTwitter.png" /></a></div><br />And now it looks like this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lT5aRlKndpI/V00dyr8zHhI/AAAAAAAABII/VPTmRQrkT2kv05Z7G4-BOP6XfZb_ruClQCLcB/s1600/new%2Bmobile%2BTwitter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lT5aRlKndpI/V00dyr8zHhI/AAAAAAAABII/VPTmRQrkT2kv05Z7G4-BOP6XfZb_ruClQCLcB/s320/new%2Bmobile%2BTwitter.png" /></a></div><br />The problem, as with most website "upgrades," is it's slow as molasses. Gone is the zippiness. Instead, we get a mobile site that's almost as slow as the regular site. So I boxed mobile.twitter.com with <a href="http://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/box/">FoxBox</a> to see if it helped, and I found something interesting. I get a paired down, much faster version of Twitter:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ivl54IA7wIA/V00d7mXZOLI/AAAAAAAABIM/T2iWGjqVfqQaPkVDOrHEzwIYqu3tw-SEACLcB/s1600/mobile%2BTwitter%2Bw%253A%2Bold%2Buseragent.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ivl54IA7wIA/V00d7mXZOLI/AAAAAAAABIM/T2iWGjqVfqQaPkVDOrHEzwIYqu3tw-SEACLcB/s320/mobile%2BTwitter%2Bw%253A%2Bold%2Buseragent.png" /></a></div><br />Then I went back to TenFourFox and used <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/user-agent-switcher/">User Agent Switcher</a> to change the user agent to an iPhone 3 and found the same paired-down site. Interesting, so it's a user agent issue. The iPhone 3 solution isn't wholly satisfactory as it breaks some other sites, but after some trial and error, I found that the user agent for TenFourFox 37 gives me the same stripped-down, fast Twitter, so apparently Twitter Mobile only gives you the new layout if your user agent is TenFourFox 38 or higher.<br /><br />I wanted to change the user agent to v. 37 permanently so I wouldn't have to switch user agents back and forth between sites, but User Agent Switcher has a bug/feature where it reverts to the default version after closing a window. So I did it the manual way, which is to enter <i>about:config</i> in the address bar and press return, type <i>useragent</i> in the search field, right click on some white space and choose New --> String from the menu. Enter this for the preference name:<br /><br />general.useragent.override<br /><br />Then enter this for the string (no line breaks):<br /><br />Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; PPC Mac OS X 10.4; rv:37.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/37.0 TenFourFox/7450<br /><br />(UPDATE: I should add to revert to default, right-click on the preference and select "Reset".)<br /><br />With this I'm all set, until sites warn me my version of Firefox is too old*, please update, etc., etc. Maybe by then there'll be some kind of site-specific user agent switching available, either built in or as an add-on. I'm sure Dr. Kaiser or somebody can whip that up on a lunch break, ha ha. (2ND UPDATE: <strike><a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/custom-useragent-string/">this add-on</a> is what I was looking for.</strike> Upon further review, this is too buggy.)<br /><br />Anyway, this has been another episode of cling to PowerPC forever. I recently weighed my upgrade options, looking at a Mac Mini, a Macbook Air, and a Thinkpad, but I didn't find them appealing. With new Macs, I'd have to accept no Firewire, no Classic, no PowerPC support, not even Rosetta, and Apple's increasingly buggy software. With a Thinkpad and Linux, it'd be much the same.<br /><br />I'll just stay right here in my lawn chair.<br /><br />*this may also interfere with add-ons auto updating until you update the version string to a version the add-on supports.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-36131026022733781962016-05-08T02:24:00.000-07:002016-05-08T02:24:10.036-07:00Cool Mac Book in the MakingNo, not MacBook, Mac <i>book</i>. As in someone's writing a book about gaming on the Mac called "The Secret History of Mac Gaming." As the title suggests, it's going to be a narrative-style retelling of the history of Mac game development and draws on all sorts of interviews with key players from the 68k era through the early 2000s. What could make this interesting is these were for the most part indie developers who followed their own muses and came up with some really creative UIs and gameplay, so I'm sure they have great stories to tell.<br /><br />The author, Richard Moss, emailed me drawing my attention to this and has some serious credentials, having written for Ars Technica, Edge, Mac|Life and several gaming sites as well as producing a podcast, Ludiphilia. There's a crowdfunding site for both digital and deluxe print editions of the book which you can <a href="https://unbound.co.uk/books/macgaming/">visit here</a>. There's also a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tL2kC3QqeU">pitch video</a> on Youtube. Both links will tell you a bit more about the project and how you can contribute, so I'd encourage you to check them out.<br /><br />I'm in for £10 for the ebook, so I'll have my name in the back of the book. Finally I get my name on a book that sells :)))))))Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-55006130135099872272016-04-23T14:15:00.001-07:002016-04-23T14:15:26.761-07:00In Case You're Having Problems Accessing Macintosh Garden...For a couple of weeks I couldn't access macintoshgarden.org. Since the site is prone to going down on occasion I didn't think anything of it until more and more days passed and still no luck. So I tried it on a browser besides TenFourFox and the site worked. Huh?<br /><br />Turns out macintoshgarden.org switched to https for a few days but then reverted when it was causing some hitches, but TenFourFox would automatically try to connect to a nonexistent https site even if you typed http in the address bar.<br /><br />Click for full size:<br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6RV_G_IspVg/Vxvk84isi1I/AAAAAAAABHo/EhfxeHnvCo09NQNO3qD-TI5hm6ttg0wowCLcB/s1600/macintoshgarden%2Bthread%2B1.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6RV_G_IspVg/Vxvk84isi1I/AAAAAAAABHo/EhfxeHnvCo09NQNO3qD-TI5hm6ttg0wowCLcB/s400/macintoshgarden%2Bthread%2B1.png" /></a><br /><br />After purging my history of all macintoshgarden links and clearing out all macintoshgarden cookies, I still couldn't get TFF to connect to http. Finally this was the solution to my problems:<br /><br />Click for full size:<br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VUT5AFotYMw/VxvlF2qAQCI/AAAAAAAABHs/GZG8MY4Xwp8ar6TNePKo70IMG0wqQm0yQCLcB/s1600/macintoshgarden%2Bthread%2B2.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VUT5AFotYMw/VxvlF2qAQCI/AAAAAAAABHs/GZG8MY4Xwp8ar6TNePKo70IMG0wqQm0yQCLcB/s400/macintoshgarden%2Bthread%2B2.png" /></a><br /><br />"That's done it. I edited the SiteSecurityServiceState.txt in my Firefox profile, deleting the macintoshgarden entry. Now I'm back in."<br /><br />Kind of ironic the solution was in a thread I temporarily couldn't access in TFF, but all is well now.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-22299649193691034622016-04-06T01:44:00.000-07:002017-11-26T21:47:16.962-08:00CorePlayer Un*uckedSo this happened in the MacRumors Forum yesterday:<br /><br /><a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/coreplayer-is-no-more-rip.1397374/page-5#post-22765728">http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/coreplayer-is-no-more-rip.1397374/page-5#post-22765728</a><br /><br />UPDATED download link: <a href="http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/coreplayer-mobile-os-x">http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/coreplayer-mobile-os-x</a><br /><br />For a little background, user lotvai77 is the one who compiled <a href="https://ppcluddite.blogspot.com/2015/09/updated-transmission.html">Transmission 2.84</a> for Tiger PPC several months back, and CorePlayer is near legendary among powerpc users as the most cpu efficient video player (zen at <a href="https://powerpcliberation.blogspot.ca/">PowerPC Liberation</a> was one of the few who had a registered copy).<br /><br />Now I can see what everyone was raving over. I previously found Mplayer from the shell to have the best playback, though for some 720p videos I had to disable the loop filter to avoid framedrops and this slightly degraded image quality. With CorePlayer this is no longer necessary and it has handled every 720p vid I can throw at it. I don't have any 1080p videos handy at the moment, but I've read from others CorePlayer can handle 1080p on faster Macs with ease.<br /><br />Caveats: CorePlayer is the master of h.264 playback, but some mkv's I tried with it were wonky and avi's with AC3 audio didn't play any sound. Zen <a href="https://powerpcliberation.blogspot.ca/2016/01/a-summary-of-players.html">previously reported</a> "little support for AC3 audio," so that's definitely been my experience!<br /><br />One tip, if your cpu's too slow and you're still getting framedrops, go into Tools --> Settings --> Advanced and check "Disable AVC deblocking filter". I think this is the same as disabling the loop filter and it'll speed things up.<br /><br />h/t Adam Albrec<br /><br />Also: <a href="http://powerpcliberation.blogspot.ca/2016/05/coreplayer-file-association-icons.html">CorePlayer File Association Icons</a>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-57610362313865190292016-03-29T22:49:00.000-07:002016-03-29T22:49:36.862-07:00Android and Your PowerPC MacA week ago my wireless provider texted me saying they'd no longer support their 2G network and I needed to upgrade my phone. Up till now I'd been living my namesake and happily using my candy bar 2G phone, but now that reality has come crashing down on me and I have to join the 21st Century or something. So I thought I could buy another dumb phone that supported 3G, but then I thought for a little more I could get an Android phone and maybe milk it for a blog post or two about using Android with our PowerPC Macs. So here we are!<br /><br />I got an unlocked Motorola Moto E, which was the least expensive smart phone that still got good reviews. I don't expect to be a heavy user, so it suits my needs. I'll miss my lighter than air Nokia whose battery lasted forever and also didn't nag me about software updates every five minutes. Apparently progress means being a perpetual beta user. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to share data between the Moto E and my Powerbook, and not just over a wireless connection. It works through USB, too.<br /><br />Right out of the box with no additional software, you can upload photos through USB by tapping the notification that appears when you connect the USB cable and then changing the transfer protocol from Media device (MTP) to Camera (PTP). If the notification doesn't pop up, you can also go to Settings --> Storage and tap the upper right button and select USB Computer Connection. There you'll see the same MTP and PTP options. Shortly after you select PTP, your default photo importer in OS X such as iPhoto or Image Capture will automatically open and you can select which photos to import. So far so good!<br /><br />However, to transfer all other data such as music and documents, you need MTP which doesn't play natively with OS X. Fortunately there's a piece of software for Tiger that allows you to connect via MTP and transfer all your other data. It's called XNJB, and though the official version 1.5.9 claimed PowerPC support, it doesn't work. That's where Cameron Kaiser came in and compiled his own version that works and has made it available for download <a href="http://www.floodgap.com/software/ppcp/">through Floodgap</a>. It must be noted, though, he offers <b><i>absolutely no support</i></b> for this. So please don't bother him with bug reports or feature requests--he compiled it for his own use and is throwing it out there in case anyone else finds it useful.<br /><br />Those disclaimers aside, I found it works perfectly (just make sure your phone is set to MTP, not PTP). You start the application with your phone connected and you're shown two browser panes for uploading and downloading. You can also create new folders on your phone with the Create Folder button. The "X" button predictably deletes items.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EGk_mCMym-w/Vvtl-NgCvZI/AAAAAAAABHU/pGVzrhfPHCM_Tg5c0Kp0sO5uWLQb4_9dQ/s1600/XNJB.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EGk_mCMym-w/Vvtl-NgCvZI/AAAAAAAABHU/pGVzrhfPHCM_Tg5c0Kp0sO5uWLQb4_9dQ/s320/XNJB.png" /></a></div><br />With that, I can move all the data I want back and forth. As for sharing data over wifi, you can set up your Mac as a Remote Login server in Preferences --> Sharing and then use an Android file manager that supports SFTP to establish a connection and move files. I tried it with ES File Explorer, and it worked fine.<br /><br />For transferring via USB, Linux users don't need to do much except install gvfs-backends if they don't already have it, and their Android device will mount in their file manager. A supported operating system does occasionally have its charms.<br /><br />I haven't really looked into pure syncing for things like contacts and calendars, but perhaps there's a way to do it by using Google services as a go-between. Syncing email is easy if you have IMAP.<br /><br />So I hope this blog post served you well and was worth me giving in to the smart phone fascists. I've been tempted to throw it into a wall a few times, but maybe that'll subside. I still have a few weeks left to return it for a refund ;)Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-2060980141977978392016-03-23T11:34:00.000-07:002016-03-23T11:34:55.457-07:00Getting an SSD for Your PPC? Here is Some Important Info That Might Help<i>(Ed. note: The following is by Adam Albrec, author of PPC Media Center, cross-posted here from various other places. It's about SSDs, and since there's virtually nothing on this blog about SSDs on PowerPC Macs, I thought I'd include it here with his permission.)</i><br /><br />I just got an OWC 'TRIM-Free' ssd for my MDD DP 1.42. At first, this was easily the best performance I've EVER had on this machine - OS9 level peppiness even running Tiger with heavy apps like TenFourFox. Opened 2 9000x6000 pixel images in Photoshop and doubled them by 10% increments, then opened TenFourFox with 50+ tabs - could move between PS History-states and then back over to TenFourFox and cycle tabs with no-more than 1/10th second delay!!!! Was ROCKIN' 11GB of Virtual Memory!<br /><br />BUT it all came crashing down in less than a day.<br /><br />The drive became completely unresponsive and I could not get any further than boot. Thought: "Knew this was too-good to be true!" Well OWC tested the drive and reported back it was fine!?!?!? To be on safe-side they sent another knew one and adviced me to attach to newer machine (Linux in my case) and verify it had newest firmware before using. Well this meant having to partition to MBR so Linux could see it. Well, once it was verified, I repartitioned back to APT to put in the Mac, but suddenly it was unresponsive again like the 1st one! Well to use the parlance of our time - WTF?<br /><br />So it was time to get me some edumacation into this stuff. The reason Sandforce controllers don't need TRIM is that they do it themselves when the drive is idle. On a modern system, with copious amounts of RAM, the only time the 'Garbage Collection' function is noticeable, is when large numbers of blocks are being reclaimed. In older OSX systems with 2GB RAM limits, this becomes much more likely than in newer systems.<br /><br />So what to do? In this case, the drive was 120GB (for $64 = Good Deal), I had initially partitioned it into 2 sections (80GB for OSX and 40GB for OS9). On a light day, maybe this would be fine, but on those 'Heavy-Flow Days', I can easily push 20GB or so onto VM, so I either plan on allowing for periodic down-time or give the drive all the room it can support to enable maximum paging flexibility. The second idea has been great and no more problems. Also, some have said that with Sandforce's drives this also makes sense in wear-leveling, because the more of the drive is available, the more it can spread the data around, and the drives also auto-recopy data periodically to make sure it stays fresh.<br /><br />Boot-times/program load times aside, one of these SSDs are the best investment you can put into your classic PowerMac. Like having virtually limitless RAM. But you need to allow it more openspace to auto-maintain (for G4/32-bit systems at least 40GB).<br /><br />Also while they do still offer the 'Legacy' IDE/ATA versions, there is no reason to pay the extra $40 when an IDE/Sata adaptor (at least if you are on a desktop with the room inside) like this one <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pata-IDE-To-Sata-Hard-Drive-Adapter-Converter-3-5-HDD-DVD-Parallel-to-Serial-ATA-/171424564491">http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pata-IDE-To-Sata-Hard-Drive-Adapter-Converter-3-5-HDD-DVD-Parallel-to-Serial-ATA-/171424564491</a> is available for about $6 and works like a charm.<br /><br />Happy PPC Computing Folks!!<br /><br />•• Note on IDE/SATA adaptors: The smaller inline ones like mentioned above, generally have a 2TB limit. Larger drives often require a PCI card. Also, they sometimes add an additional 1-second delay to Access/Spin-Up times. Once data starts moving, there is no delay, but if your only drive is an SSD, it might make sense to experiment disabling 'disksleep' on pmset in Terminal. Even in this case, however, there will occasionally be a momentary searching during bootup for the system folder as the card comes to life. This is normal.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-41171847231980554332016-03-15T12:39:00.000-07:002016-03-15T12:39:37.524-07:00Does Tim Cook Care About Macs?Click for larger view:<br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qQ6nMXOcIxk/VuhkDuDP-jI/AAAAAAAABG8/FBpan7ij9JcMzU2L_V74I0TqSUhczV1DA/s1600/MacRumors%2BBuyer%2527s%2BGuide.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qQ6nMXOcIxk/VuhkDuDP-jI/AAAAAAAABG8/FBpan7ij9JcMzU2L_V74I0TqSUhczV1DA/s400/MacRumors%2BBuyer%2527s%2BGuide.png" /></a>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-869311093707806192016-03-08T02:06:00.000-08:002016-03-08T02:06:47.368-08:00In Case You Didn't Know Where My Affinity for Jazz Flute Came FromStarts at 4:30.<br /><br /><iframe width="400" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w6WGeEbAmk4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-68326275419114345142016-01-19T23:59:00.000-08:002016-01-20T00:01:38.534-08:00On Reviving Dead Power Supplies (Or How I Just Got Lucky Doing Any Random Thing the Internet Told Me To)My Power Mac 7600 died. At least I thought. It was a dead power supply, and also extremely disappointing (Do you hear that, 7600? I'm not angry, just disappointed.). This 7600 was da man. It was my vinyl ripper with its built-in RCA ports and <a href="http://www.visualclick.de/products/coaster/index.html">Coaster</a>, and it was also my bridge machine, the only Mac I could directly network to my post-SCSI Macs.<br /><br />So I checked out Ebay and saw just one power supply available for 30 or 40 dollars plus shipping, but before I contemplated that, I took another look at the stiff. Was my dead cadaver power supply dead after all? I opened the case and was shocked to see how much dust was in it. The power supply had it packed in so that when you slid the frame off you had a brick of dust. Disgraceful. I think that's why I forgot to take pictures–my subconscious was too ashamed and didn't want anyone to see.<br /><br />Anyway, I thought, maybe if I get all this guck out it'll magically awaken. Wishful thinking, admittedly, but being single-task minded and obsessive, I proceeded. I opened up the power supply and...<br /><br />***IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING***<br />When working inside a power supply, it is exceedingly likely you will receive an electrical shock, and a powerful one, unless you take safety precautions. Never touch anything with your bare fingers. Never reach inside it with anything metal. Power supplies can hold an electrical charge longer than you might suspect, so be careful.<br /><br />...using a modelers paint brush with a plastic handle, I brushed all the dust out. Back up a second. First I gave it a good blow and immediately realized my mistake. After letting everything settle, I more sensibly applied the modelers brush and didn't stop until every last bit of lint was removed. What I had left was a pristine power supply, seemingly, that probably wouldn't work, but at least it looked nice. I also read on some random forum that I should blow a hair dryer on it while set on hot for a couple of minutes. Not to cook it, but just to warm it up a bit. Well, if the internet tells me to do it, I'm doing it.<br /><br />So after blowing the hair dryer on it, I reassembled the frame and stuck it back in the 7600. I do wish the 20 year old plastic wasn't as brittle as toffee. At least you can eat toffee. Then I put the case cover on, hooked everything up, plugged it in and pressed the power button quickly without thinking about it 'cause I didn't want to jinx it by waiting one more second, and holy s---, it worked. The fan spun, the chime chimed, and that sweet SCSI whine of the hard drive spinning up followed.<br /><br />Was it the de-dusting? The hair dryer trick? My stern looks of reproach? Dunno. But since none require superhuman effort, I recommend all three. Having said that, I probably just got lucky.<br /><br />While in the business of reviving things, I got the idea to fix a dead Seagate SCSI drive with a new screwdriver set I bought. This drive had its circuit board exposed on the top and was vulnerable to physical damage (don't ask), but I kept it stashed in a box with vague thoughts of one day fixing it. Fifteen years later, I finally got the idea to switch out circuit boards. Or I probably got the idea before, but I just forgot about it. Anyway, since I now have every screwdriver head imaginable and a second identical model drive that I bought way back when as a replacement, suddenly it seemed imminently doable. So I unscrewed and removed the damaged circuit board, replaced it with the good one, and now I could finally see my desktop as it was, frozen in time, 15 years ago:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QEyBwpWtmtI/Vp88J9KI51I/AAAAAAAABGk/MAEhs7Potbo/s1600/My%2BMac%2BOS%2Bdesktop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="my Mac OS desktop" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QEyBwpWtmtI/Vp88J9KI51I/AAAAAAAABGk/MAEhs7Potbo/s320/My%2BMac%2BOS%2Bdesktop.jpg" /></a></div><br />The wallpaper is a Laetitia Casta underwater shot (I took that), and I think the icons are from AppleWorks clip art.<br /><br />The universe couldn't let all this good news go unpunished, so to even things out my iBook died. It's either the DC-in board or the motherboard, but the battery still charges, so I'm 99% sure it's the motherboard. Repeatedly yelling at it, "You bastard! You bastard!" hasn't worked yet, but I'll keep you updated.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-79593989679807957732015-12-19T14:02:00.000-08:002015-12-19T14:02:14.990-08:00Mac OS's Ranked17) 10.9 Mavericks – An inexplicable update, the only notable new feature being a slower boot time. This was Apple saying, "We can make them do anything" (evilly rubbing hands together).<br /><br />16) 10.0 Cheetah – OS X's first release after the public beta. The Cheetah codename was an unfortunate attempt at irony.<br /><br />15) 10.1 Puma – An OS X still not ready for prime time. "Restore the Apple Menu" petitions were rife at this time.<br /><br />14) 10.7 Lion – The first release in the iOS era. The UI was a mess. No more Rosetta or Save As. Who thought that denim texture was a good idea?<br /><br />13) 10.2 Jaguar – Well, at least they removed the pinstripes from the dock. Progress is incremental.<br /><br />12) 10.10 Yosemite – Glad memory's cheap these days. Also, what was with all the spyware? B phoned home even when you opened "About This Mac."<br /><br />11) 10.11 El Capitan – All the pros and cons of Yosemite but slightly leaner.<br /><br />10) 10.5 Leopard – Dropped the Classic Environment yet simultaneously introduced new levels of bloat (mostly useless eye candy). The last to support PowerPC.<br /><br />9) 10.3 Panther – Brushed metal. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Brushed metal.<br /><br />8) System 7 – Brought many new modern features, but also brought something else we've all become familiar with in OS updates – a slower system. Also, the 7.5 - 7.6 releases had stability issues (mostly related to the PowerPC transition).<br /><br />7) Systems 1-5 – These first Macintosh systems were rudimentary, but they established the user interface in an unprecedentedly human way. Whereas every other OS made you feel like you were at work, Macs made you feel like you were at home.<br /><br />6) Mac OS 9 – Like 8.6 but with a bunch of new stuff I never use.<br /><br />5) 10.8 Mountain Lion – Apple apologizes for Lion.<br /><br />4) Mac OS 8 – Introduced Platinum, which I've never really been a fan of, although the Finder remained very fast. Had to wait till 8.6 to become stable, then it became like a rock.<br /><br />3) 10.6 Snow Leopard – Apple apologizes for Leopard.<br /><br />2) 10.4 Tiger – An OS X that's stable, efficient, and stays out of the way. Still usable as an everyday system after nine years, and in the internet era that's a major feat.<br /><br />1) System 6 – The apex of speed and usability. Its boot times beat any modern system, and the user interface is the very definition of intuitive. System 6 is largely responsible for making your compact Mac feel like an old friend.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cmRM11owOes/VnXSqbfBbxI/AAAAAAAABGA/-QkgS2frIj4/s1600/happy-mac.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Happy Mac" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cmRM11owOes/VnXSqbfBbxI/AAAAAAAABGA/-QkgS2frIj4/s1600/happy-mac.png" /></a></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-73711271579821069472015-11-22T13:02:00.001-08:002015-11-28T09:58:33.778-08:00You Ever Wanna Stuff That Effing Website in a Box?Just spreading the word here--Cameron Kaiser released a new app called TenFourFoxBox which generates site-specific browser apps. Read his full <a href="http://tenfourfox.blogspot.com/2015/11/tenfourfoxbox-because-its-time-to-think.html">blog post</a>, but in short it allows a smoother and faster experience from resource-heavy websites by boxing them into their own browser processes and keeping spinning beachballs to a minimum. I've tried it out and it makes a difference.<br /><br />Faster browsing is good.<br /><br />UPDATE: And Adam Albrec has made a <a href="http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/tigertweet-a-tenfourfox-based-twitter-web-app-requires-tenfourfox">spiffy Twitter app</a> out of this, including a custom icon.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-20494791292950788862015-11-04T22:52:00.001-08:002015-11-04T22:56:59.935-08:00Tiger & Leopard Users Up to Their Eyeballs in Software UpdatesWho said development on PowerPC was dead?<br /><br />Adam Albrec has released <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download/1e8m86tm14ew32q/PPC_Media_Center_-_5.5_Update_PowerPC.zip">PPC Media Center 5.5</a>, an update that requires <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download/46tbqanuql0s0ut/PPC_Media_Center_-_5.0_Universal.zip">PPC Media Center 5.0</a> and is PowerPC only (unlike 5.0 which was universal). So 5.5 is sort of our ppc secret handshake update. It has various enhancements and now includes all options in a single menu.<br /><br />ICYMI, <a href="http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/manulix/other/libreoffice/">LibreOffice for Leopard PPC</a> has started putting out LibreOffice 5 versions. Looks like this project has staying power.<br /><br />Nathan Hill at <a href="http://g5center.net/">G5 Center</a> has been developing <a href="http://g5center.net/simplemark/">SimpleMarkPPC</a>, a MarkDown application that creates, edits, and exports MarkDown documents while keeping everything simple--you type in the text and it gives you live updates. There are a lot of possibilities with this, so definitely check it out.<br /><br />Finally, <a href="http://www.tenfourfox.com/">TenFourFox</a> continues churning out updates, and <a href="https://en.osdn.jp/projects/tenfourbird/">Tenfourbird</a> is out with a version 38 as well. Still waiting for the former's <a href="http://tenfourfox.blogspot.com/2013/04/announcing-new-tenfourfox-port.html">68k port</a>. I guess it's delayed.<br /><br />Got any more? Please add them in the comments.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-83518479416528396622015-10-22T23:30:00.000-07:002015-10-22T23:30:55.759-07:00More Randomish NewsPeople tell me things...<br /><br />Via reader Ed, a <a href="http://www.openbsd.org/58.html">new version of OpenBSD</a> is out with improved PowerPC and G5 stability and performance. I don't know much about OpenBSD, but don't let that stop you ;)<br /><br />Also, Hack 5190 at MacRumors' PowerPC Forum dropped news of a <a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/flash-v19-0-0-226.1930845/">new version</a> of the Flash hack that has the old 10.1 plugin spoof itself as the latest v19. This should be useful to those of you using Cameron Kaiser's <a href="http://tenfourfox.blogspot.com/2015/09/sandboxin-safari-on-powerpc-because.html">SandboxSafari</a>.<br /><br />In case you missed it, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/iphone3gtutsntweaks">PowerPC Hub</a> just celebrated its fourth birthday with a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmKzcpK2ook">video</a>.<br /><br />At the Ubuntu forums, I saw this <a href="http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2294789">Radeon UMS</a> thread for users who need to disable KMS and can't get acceleration because the Radeon driver dropped UMS support. The new UMS-enabled debs are for Ubuntu 14.04, but just for giggles I tested them on Debian and they worked! I just had to install <a href="https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/trusty/+package/libgcrypt11">libgcrypt11 1.5.3</a> in addition to the debs provided--the libgcrypt11 in Debian was too old.<br /><br />Finally, Apple's ruse to release El Capitan as x86 only to reveal it was PowerPC all along is up:<br /><br /><a href="https://community.spotify.com/t5/Help-Desktop-Mac/Spotify-1-0-8-on-El-Capitan-detected-as-a-PowerPC-app/td-p/1163184">Spotify 1.0.8 on El Capitan detected as a PowerPC app</a><br /><br />Nice try, Apple. If it weren't for those meddling kids!Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-749559194818088720.post-23111398854423474012015-10-10T15:45:00.000-07:002016-03-08T02:16:49.346-08:00Ghost in My MachineFrom the CRT days you've probably heard about screen burn-in, but there's sort of an LCD equivalent, what's known as image persistance. Nothing's technically burned in, but the pixels on the display can appear to be ghosting an image that's been displayed an inordinate amount of time.<br /><br />I bring this up because this has been happening with my Powerbook display. Tiger's great and all (efficient, gets out of the way, Classic support, etc., etc.), but its one problem is its blindingly bright menubar. It's leaving a ghost on my display when I switch to fullscreen apps, and so does TenFourFox's address bar and back button, which are displayed probably more often than is healthy (Oh, look! Another cat gif!). I haven't seen this on any of my other displays, so maybe my Powerbook's is uniquely bad, but if this is a problem for you here are a couple of things that fixed it for me.<br /><br />First I tried what Apple recommends, which is to switch your screensaver to an all white background and run it with your screen brightness turned almost all the way down overnight. After a couple of nights, I maybe noticed a little change but it wasn't satisfactory, and then I remembered a munubar utility called <a href="http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/16640/menushade">MenuShade</a> and installed that.<br /><br />MenuShade creates a shaded band across the top of your screen where the menubar is, giving the illusion that the menubar brightness is turned down. This obviously is a problem when switching to a fullscreen app--the shaded band is still there. However you can exclude these apps in MenuShade's preferences, though for some reason it doesn't work with VLC (UPDATE: you have to label it "VLC media player", i.e. the process name as it appears in Activity Monitor). Shrug, I use Mplayer anyway.<br /><br />Before:<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iF5F-RHH27Q/VhmUMXvCw0I/AAAAAAAABFQ/yWMCSxas9vk/s1600/unshaded%2Bmenubar.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iF5F-RHH27Q/VhmUMXvCw0I/AAAAAAAABFQ/yWMCSxas9vk/s1600/unshaded%2Bmenubar.png" /></a><br /><br />After:<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3nmDsjbxrmE/VhmUacT9HvI/AAAAAAAABFY/n_0mTx2gAME/s1600/shaded%2Bmenubar.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3nmDsjbxrmE/VhmUacT9HvI/AAAAAAAABFY/n_0mTx2gAME/s1600/shaded%2Bmenubar.png" /></a><br /><br />So I've been running with MenuShade dimming the menubar, and I've also started using TenFourFox in fullscreen mode to change up the placement of the address bar, and after a few days of normal use I saw a big difference, and now after about five days the ghosting is almost completely gone.<br /><br />There's another utility to deal with Tiger's menubar called <a href="http://www.cynosurex.com/Software/MagicMenu/">MagicMenu</a>, which autohides the menubar, but it causes a lot of bugginess and misbehavior in certain applications. Not recommended unless you like slamming fist to keyboard.<br /><br />Do any of your 'Books or iMacs have this ghosting problem?Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700474277267739107noreply@blogger.com5